After crash-landing in the snowswept Andes, a Uruguayan rugby team has no choice but to turn to desperate measures in order to survive.After crash-landing in the snowswept Andes, a Uruguayan rugby team has no choice but to turn to desperate measures in order to survive.After crash-landing in the snowswept Andes, a Uruguayan rugby team has no choice but to turn to desperate measures in order to survive.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Antonio 'Tintín' Vizintín
- (as John Haymes Newton)
- Rafael Cano
- (as Michael De Lorenzo)
- Eduardo Strauch
- (as Gian Di Donna)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe real Nando Parrado (Ethan Hawke's character) was technical advisor to the film.
- GoofsRoberto Canessa is shown sitting beside Nando Parrado in the rescue helicopter. Canessa never made that trip; he was by that point so debilitated by the dysentery he had battled for much of the trek over the mountains that he could no longer walk.
- Quotes
Nando: Between these mountains somewhere there's a green valley. See these mountains over here? There's no snow on them.
Roberto Canessa: Those mountains must be fifty miles away. You think you can walk fifty miles?
Nando: If we have to, we will.
Roberto Canessa: I can't.
Nando: Yes, you can.
Roberto Canessa: I can't. I'm not as strong as you.
Nando: Do you know what it is that we've lived this long the way we have? Seventy days? That we climbed this mountain. You know what it is? It's impossible. It's impossible and we did it. I'm proud to be a man on a day like this. Alive. That I lived to see it, and see it in such a place. Take it in. I love you, man. Look, it's magnificent. It's God. And it'll carry us over every stone, I swear. I swear to you.
- Crazy creditsIn the North American prints, the Touchstone Pictures logo appears at the beginning and at the end, along with the Buena Vista Pictures Distribution disclaimer appears after the credits, meanwhile the international prints had the 1989 version of the 1987 Paramount Pictures logo with the animation at the beginning and the still one at the end.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert: Matinee/Alive/Body of Evidence/Sniper (1993)
- SoundtracksThe Look Of Love
Written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David
For those who don't know the story yet, it is based on what happened to the Uruguayan rugby team during and after their plane crash in the middle of the Andes mountains in 1972. Some of them survive the initial crash, some wounded, others only with some minor scratches. They pray that they will soon be found, but no search team is coming to rescue them. At first they keep themselves alive by eating what they find in the luggage of the passengers, but soon that food is also gone. If they don't eat, they will all die. And they need to gain strength, because they need to try to get help themselves. There is only one horrible solution: they will have to eat the dead people...
Despite the fact that this may sound horrible to many, I must say that it isn't as bad as you may think. Of course you'll see them cut a piece out of the bodies and eat it, but it is done in a watchable way. I'm sure that only the very faint of heart will not be able to watch it. It's a part of the story, but it is never shown in a too spectacular or sensational way.
All in all this is a very interesting movie. I asked myself several times: 'What would you do if you were in that situation? Would you eat it or not?' I'm not sure, but I guess I would, but that's not why I tell you this. Just the fact that I was able to think about it in this way shows that it wasn't too bloody or with too much gore (I really don't like that). That's why I reward this movie with a 7.5/10.
- philip_vanderveken
- Mar 25, 2005
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $32,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $36,733,909
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $8,624,292
- Jan 18, 1993
- Gross worldwide
- $36,733,909
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1